Karaoke Smackdown

When: Sat., Oct. 4, 8 p.m. 2014

Sometimes we do things we’re not proud of, like drinking one too many Call a Cabs and hogging the mic all night at Wet Willie’s Tuesday night karaoke jam sesh, after which, we vowed to never karaoke again. Instead, we’ll let the folks at What If? Productions and Threshold Repertory Theatre do the karaoke-ing for us with Karaoke Smackdown. This time around, the theme is Broadway and movie musicals, which means classics like “All That Jazz” from Chicago, “Sweet Transvestite” from Rocky Horror Picture Show, and “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. Ten contestants will choose and prepare their favorite Broadway number from an extensive list, and perform it for the first round. From those 10, four will be chosen to continue on to round two and sing a song selected by the judges. And then from those four, one champ will be crowned. Host Brian Porter will provide his own saucy commentary, while judges Andy Rider and Jeremy McClellan will offer critique of their own. Don’t be afraid to cheer for your faves and boo their opponents. “The judges tend to lean toward people who the audience really hoot and holler over,” says Courtney Daniels, executive director of Threshold. During intermission, audience members will get the chance to hop up on stage and give it a shot themselves during karaoke roulette: a random song will be picked out for the person to perform right then and there. Beer and wine will be available for purchase to improve everyone’s singing voice — or dull out the flat notes for audience members.